NEW DELHI, Jan 26: An Indian firm had helped Iraq get materials useful to develop weapons of mass destruction (WMD), the Indian Express said on Sunday, quoting Indian customs sources.

It said a probe by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) into the Delhi-based NEC Engineers Pvt Ltd indicates that the company, under the directions of Iraq’s Ministry of Military Industries, may have helped Iraq manufacture precursors for WMD.

“The statement made by former general manager (projects) of the NEC, N. Katturajan, under Section 108 of the Customs Act, 1962 to the DRI, is explosive,” the Expresss said.

He named an Iraqi official Abdul Baghi as the Director-General of the Al Rashid Chlorate plant, a project that was run by Saddam’s Ministry of Military Industries, says the report

“Katturajan, in the statement to DRI on May 24, 2002, claims knowledge that the Al Rashid plant was used for making sodium chlorate and sodium perchlorate, chemical precursors for making rocket-propellant ammonium perchlorate that is used as missile fuel. Katturajan claims that the missile fuel facility was barely 500 metres from the Al Rashid facility,” the Express said. — Jay Enn